


Calming Winter

by pensfordays



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, I suck at tagging, idk just shoot me now, it's just interactions not actual relationships idk, suggestions on improving and one shots always welcome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-17
Updated: 2017-02-08
Packaged: 2018-02-17 18:09:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2318603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pensfordays/pseuds/pensfordays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Babysitting a super soldier is not your idea of fun, especially when you deal with a bunch of them at work on a daily basis. But this one's got a special something to offer. I do not own any of the characters, or you and your lovely imagination.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first official work of fanfiction, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes or misplacement of information. Also, English is not my first language but I'm trying to polish what I've got and keep it clean. My notebook is full of cursing but that didn't make it to the actual text here. Enjoy!!

You held a position in Stark Industries, as Pepper Potts’ second in command, a job you weren’t sure you wanted at first, but grew to love with the passing of time and events leading to catastrophes that you and Pepper had to manage to fix somehow.

The pay was fair, there was never a dull day and you had gotten to form bonds with most of the Avengers. They also grew to appreciate you, some more than others. It was practically the perfect job. And Steve was one of the most appreciative of your company.

Steve had relied on you ever since he first joined the Avengers, he found you easy to talk to and worthy of his trust, after spending many sleepless nights telling you about his experiences in WWII and what happened with Bucky. He had stolen a piece of your heart, you cared and worried for him like you would do for an older brother. He treated you like a little sister as well, always protecting you and looking after you, always willing to listen to your problems as you were willing to listen to his stories.

Since the Winter Soldier incident, Steve had been dealing with a lot of stress, over finding his former best friend and trying to restore SHIELD, along with the rest of the Avengers and of course, you were involved mostly in the latter.

He did find Bucky, and the two of them were trying to make things work out with the help of the Avengers. However, Bucky was still startled with everything happening around him; Steve and Tony took him in to Avengers Tower where he had a room of his own, right next to Steve’s, if Bucky were to need anything he’d have Steve close enough to help.

Avengers Tower was almost never empty, people would come and go all day long. The first days of Bucky staying there were awful; he was not accustomed to having so many people around without any of them wanting to kill him. He was safe here, yes, but that didn’t stop him from believing that he could be in danger at any given time. It was the Avengers Tower, after all. Enemies could show up on the window and they’d be taken out instantly, and he’d be ready to take them out in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for Steve stopping him every time.

Steve had walked you home countless times, always making sure you were safe and sound. You invited him over all the time, even given him a spare key. He had brought Bucky over to your place a few times, but they would never stay long, since Bucky was still fighting his inner demons and wasn’t very outgoing with the people he didn’t know, which were actually everyone. You had noticed Bucky fixing his sight on you a couple of times, but you thought he was only making sure you were harmless. He was quiet at first, but he would say a few words from time to time, only if it was necessary.

Bucky had really tried to warm up to you, seeing the state of your relationship with Steve, he was talking more and seemed more at ease than when you first saw him. But that didn’t mean you did the same. You still didn’t trust the man, and it wasn’t like you didn’t like him, but there was something inside you telling you to take more time to get to know him, just to make sure he was getting better.

He would try to make conversation with you, but you always cut him off. Not even trying to do so, it was only a mechanism of defence you had built over the years of having to deal with men working in your field. Your time in college, majoring in Mechanical Engineering had contributed to this. Lots of men on campus, you were obviously outnumbered, a bunch of idiots catcalling you all the time and you had to protect yourself somehow. Pepper spray in hand and a witty and alert mind were your main tools. Part of this was how you got to get the job at Stark Industries, your vast studies, sparkling personality and your quick tongue was what made Tony Stark himself shake your hand and welcome you into the company.

You knew Bucky was trying but you still didn’t trust him. He would come up to you sometimes and ask you questions about the modern world, since you were most likely to answer than Natasha, who was almost never there, Bruce was always locked in his lab, Clint spent most of his time on the terrace, keeping an ever-watchful eye, Pepper was always busy looking for Tony and bossing around, him never paying attention and ignoring her instead. So you were the last alternative. And you did answer sometimes, but others you would just leave him with the unresolved doubt while you ran off after Pepper, who would be running after Tony. You’d hear Bucky muttering words in Russian at times, with a vexed tone after you would leave him hanging with the unanswered questions.

Bucky noticed you were a bit harsh with him for the way you treated him, but also with yourself, he could hear you sometimes cursing at yourself for making mistakes and having to fix them before anyone noticed. He didn’t think ill of you, he just wanted to know why is it that you pushed him off with such ease without giving him a chance to come clean to you.

Of course Steve notices this, and he feels a bit offended by the way you’re treating his friend. He comes up to you and calls you on a little intervention – just you and him.


	2. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We need to talk about Bucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter número dos!! Enjoy!!

He sits down with you, and you know what’s coming. It’s breaking your heart already, realizing you broke Steve’s heart by mistreating his best friend even if you didn’t mean it.

“I just want you to know he’s improving, he’s getting better and interacting with people now. He really wants to be the best version of himself and I’m supporting him, and he wants to be your friend as well. Please, tell me you’ll try to not be so hard on him, please?” Steve says, looking at you with those stupid, blue puppy eyes that would always convince you.

You let out a sigh.

“Okay. I’ll try. I’m really sorry, though, I never meant to make such an impression. You know it takes me time to warm up to people. With you was different, we had an instant spark and I haven’t been able to get you off me since then. But I don’t let people in so easily. You know it and I’m telling you I’m sorry, and I will try to not give him a hard time, alright?” You vented.

“Alright. I’m so glad we talked this through, you and Bucky mean the world to me, and I couldn’t stand it if you guys didn’t even try to get along. I’m looking forward to not see any more cold glares, okay?” Steve practically begged, and stood up from the couch along with you and approached to kiss you in the cheek and give you a hug.

It wasn’t going to be easy, after the little talk you had with Steve. You now knew you had to at least try to not be so cold towards Bucky, and it was for Steve that you were going to try. You didn’t want to let him down, he was your best friend and you had to make peace with his best friend.

You spent a lot of time at the Avengers Tower; it was your job but also they’d ask you to hang around after the duties were done and you happily accepted. Even Tony asked you once if you wanted your own room at the Tower, he’d get it ready in an instant. You told him you were really grateful but you needed your own place. “Really, it’s no big deal, kid, you’re always welcome, and you’re like one of us already!” Tony said enthusiastically, hoping you’d take his offer into consideration. He considered you his other right hand (the third one, or maybe fourth, since Pepper was the first, then his own, then J.A.R.V.I.S. and then you), you helped him with a lot of his work and he even had a stool for you in his lab. He also kept you because he loved your occasional cooking, especially the delicious brownies you had to bake once a week or otherwise he’d send you on errands you hated. Tony and Steve you were the closest to, and it was great.

One day, while at work, Steve came up to you to ask you out for dinner and you never denied his requests, except for when you really didn’t want to go out. He would offer to buy take out and watch a movie and maybe play a prank or two on Clint. That was always fun.

That same night, Steve took you out for dinner like he promised, but you weren’t aware that he’d also bring Bucky with him.

“That’s okay” You thought, “He just wants us to get along and spend some time, I guess”.

And so you did.

He took you both to an Italian restaurant, knowing it was your favourite and it had survived for over 70 years, since he and Bucky used to go there all the time before the war. You had a wonderful time, which you weren’t expecting, you ate delicious food and drank sweet wine, which got to your head a little bit too fast and you ended up laughing and saying more than expected, which got them both also roaring with laughter like they hadn’t done in seventy years. It was a truly remarkable night. Steve was all over the clouds with the improvement you have made regarding Bucky, and he took you to the dance floor to have a little chat about it.

“So, how are you enjoying tonight, (y/n)? He smiled warmly at you after asking this. He rarely called you by your name, he’d catch your attention by poking you on the side or tapping your shoulder.

“It’s been great, except for the fact that I can’t dance at all!” You exclaimed, the music was loud enough to make you raise your voice.

“That’s no problem, I’ve got a pair of light feet to help you with that” He said, lifting you off your feet and swirling you around, moving his feet along the vintage tunes the restaurant started playing, knowing that Cap was in and they’d always indulge him with his favourite songs.

“It’s not fair!” You shouted, “I’m not wearing a flowy skirt to spin around with, and I’m stepping on you!”

“Don’t worry, nothing a few more laughs can’t fix” Steve assured, granting you a smile.

Then, you felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned around to see that it was Bucky.

“Mind if I steal you a bit?” He asked, staring at you, with a hint of a smirk on his face.

“All yours” Steve chuckled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to keep it under 1000 words for unknown reasons. Feedback is always appreciated! :)


	3. Confessions on the Dance Floor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Literally what the title says. It's a shorter chapter but I'll make up for it by the end of the week.

Bucky took your hand, never taking his eyes off you, as in asking for permission, which you granted by reciprocating the hold. He then grabbed your waist with his metal hand, which was not tight at all, barely feeling it was there.

A slow song came in and you had to slow your pace.

“Hey, look, I know we didn’t have a good start, and I’m sorry, I’m trying really hard here and I want you to know that I --- I want to be your friend, okay?” Bucky stuttered, never taking his eyes off you.

You hadn’t noticed how beautiful his eyes were, a deep, ocean blue you could drown yourself in. This was the first time you looked him straight in the eye.

“It’s fine. Steve gave me the talk, and I want you to know that I’m trying too. It’s not easy for me to open up to people but I’m doing my best,” you assured him with a smile.

He sighed in relief.                                                       

“Okay, I just wanted to make sure I’m not bothering you, I really like you, you know?” Bucky affirmed, now showing a shy smile, afraid of your reaction.

“Yeah, okay. You don’t bother me, and if you do so, you’ll be the first to know. Just ask Steve, he knows best not to bother me, his super-strength has nothing on me, but don’t let him know that” You whispered to his ear. You could smell his manly, yet light and fresh fragrance. It was like a melody to your senses and your gut was suddenly overflowing with a weird feeling. Or maybe it was the wine.

Bucky noticed you stumbled after a spin and he gripped you tighter with his metal arm, catching you before you fell.

“Are you alright?” He asked with a worried look in his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I guess I pushed my drinking limit tonight” You answered, assuring him there was no danger.

“Let’s go sit” He suggested, leading you with his left arm still around your waist.

You arrived to the table, where Steve had been observing you; he had a grin that showed his perfect teeth.

 

“Well, that was quick” Steve exclaimed, “I thought you were an expert drinker, my friend, and this wine is nothing compared to others I’ve seen you chug down!” referring to your previous experiences, drinking with the rest of the team after a hard mission. You had learned to drink along, the hard way.

“What can I say? I’m tired and alcohol gets to my head real fast when I’m tired, but you guys are made of hardcore material and I’m only human” You expressed, not realizing until after that you might had offended them. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that” you apologized.

They didn’t take offense, as it wasn’t a lie. The serum made them numb to alcohol and could tolerate a level of pain that would instantly kill a normal human being.

“Don’t worry, I know you’re just jealous” Steve joked, giving you the warmest smile.

“Do you want to leave? Bucky asked, he was now sitting next to you, still worried about your well-being, since you almost fell to the floor if it wasn’t by his hands. You were both facing Steve across the table.

“It’s fine if you want to go home, just say it” Steve said, knowing you were about to drop dead.

“Yeah, let’s go” you accepted the suggestion with a now sleepy and drunk smile.

Bucky slid off the booth and offered you his hand to help you get up and you took it glancing at him, knowing now that you were safe around him. The guy had opened up to you and you saw honesty in his blue eyes. The slight feeling of fright left your body as soon as he held your hand when you danced with him.

Yes, it was fear what you had felt towards him. Knowing about his past as the Winter Soldier, it made you feel afraid that he could snap anytime and trigger the former Soviet assassin and end with your life, or anyone unlucky to be near. But he was being true, he was learning to control his anger with the help of Bruce and the constant support of Steve. He was a completely different person from the lost man Steve had brought home one day.

 

He made you feel safe now.


	4. A Little Favor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve needs something. Reader can provide it. Sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, making it up for the previous-quite-short chapter (I said it'd be up by the end of the week; it's the weekend so it's the end of the week, literally) (I'm tired and I don't know anything anymore)  
> I love you all and thanks for reading! <3

It was a Thursday afternoon, you had just gotten back from the Avengers Tower after a long day of work.  You had gone to the market to get some groceries and run some late errands, you were exhausted and looking forward a warm bath and at least four hours of straight sleep.

You looked for the keys to your apartment located in the heart of New York City. Before you could insert the key into the lock, you heard a bang on the door, and then you turned your sight to your right, seeing a large hand resting on the door frame.

“Going to bed already, doll-face?” The hand's owner whispered to your ear. You turned your head to face him, even though you already knew who it was.

“I’m about to drop dead right here, Steven. I really don’t feel like playing around like you always do”, you confessed, with a tired smile.

“Oh, come on, (y/l/n), you know I’m just doing community service for the most-needed citizens!” the super soldier joked, poking you on the ribs, teasing.

“I just want to go in, clean up and go to bed, okay? You’re welcome if you want to stay around but please don’t drag me into one of your adventures” you growled, hoping he would not do the opposite, like he always did.

“Alright, alright, then let me help you out with those bags” Steve suggested, taking all of your grocery bags that you could barely lift with the bit of energy you had left.

You finally opened the door and went in, holding the door for Steve to enter with the bags and then closing it after he was in.

You started taking out the groceries from the bags Steve had put on the countertop and organizing the items on your pantry, feeling him gazing over you after he pulled a footstool and sat on it, never taking his eyes off you. You noticed there was something unusual in his behaviour, he would start chit-chatting all the way since he entered your place but he didn’t do it this time.

“Do you want anything, water, juice, a beer?” You asked him, breaking the silence.

“Juice is fine, thank you” he replied.

 

You handed him a glass with apple juice, of which you always kept a jug in your fridge because you knew it was his favorite. He took a sip and left the glass to rest on the countertop.

 

“So… how are you doing? Do you miss me yet? Because I’ve noticed you’ve been avoiding me, smartypants,” he exclaimed with a sassy tone.

“I have not been avoiding you, Steve, I just thought that with all of this happening, you’d need some space and time to deal with Bucky coming back and helping him adapt, like I did with you” You stated. You had drifted off his sight after that night where he took you and Bucky out to dinner. You had worked your way with Bucky but you were still unsure, like the insecure little girl that you were deep inside.

“Yeah… that. Thank you, by the way. I could tell you had a good time that evening, though. You’re always there for me and I know I can trust my life to you. That’s why I need to ask you for something. I need your help and it’s really important” He wondered, making emphasis on the word “really”.

“You know I’ll help you in any way I can. I know you got my back and I’ve got yours, my friend. What is it that you need my assistance with?” You asked, curious to know what it was that kept him uneasy.

“We’re going on a mission tomorrow and we can’t take Bucky. He’s not ready for this, he’s still recovering and I can’t stay with him either. All of us have to go and it’s important. Is it too much to ask you to look after him while I’m gone? Would you do me that enormous favor?” Steve elaborated, not sure of how you would react to such a petition. And of course he took advantage of the puppy blue eyes that always convinced you to do anything he wanted.

“God, you’re so lucky that I love you enough to do anything for you. I will”. You answered, not giving it a second thought.

“Really?” Steve responded enthusiastically, “(y/n), for a second, I thought you were going to refuse!”

“How could I? I bet you’d do the same for me, if I had a situation like that, right?”

“Sure, I always got your back, and now I’m sure you’ve got mine, thanks a lot, it means the world to me!” Steve expressed, he then crushed you into a hug that could’ve broken your exhausted bones. “See, if you need anything, just call me up, alright? I’ll bring him over tomorrow in the afternoon, is that okay with you?” He added.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be fine; we’re both going to be just fine, Steve” You reassured him with the warmest smile you could give him. Before you could noticed, he had hugged you again and waved you goodbye. Just when he was out of your sight, you started to realize…

 

What have you just gotten yourself into?


	5. Avengers Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader finds herself in high demand lately. Hopefully something good will come out of all of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am truly sorry I haven't updated in over a month!! But here's a super long chapter, I really hope you enjoy it!!  
> Note: Lots of dialogues here, and that's it, I think.  
> Feedback always appreciated!! :)

 

 

Early morning incoming call. It’s Tony.

 

“What on Earth do you want at this ungodly hour?” You asked him in an angry tone but still sleepy.

“That’s not the way to treat your boss, young lady, besides, it’s not that early, it’s only 5:30 and you’re just a grumpy person.” Tony replied.

“Well, I would be nicer if it wasn’t so early” You replied, still not making up your mind and body into getting up from your warm bed.

“Yeah, anyway, kid… I need you here in 30 minutes, there’s so much to do and so little time, we’re leaving this afternoon and there’s some stuff we have to, uhm… just get here in 30, okay? One hour, tops” He managed to mumble and you knew why, because you heard Clint shouting at him from the other side of the line, followed by Natasha shouting at Clint for shouting at Tony. These people were a total mess over there, from the minute you could hear over the phone. At 5:30 in the morning.

“Alright, alright, I’ll be there when I get there, okay?” You replied.

“Bring cupcakes” Tony ordered right before hanging up. You processed the information too late to have told him anything at all.

And so you had to get up.

 

You arrived at the Tower one hour later, struggling with three boxes of cupcakes you had to pick up at Tony's favorite bakery and a few cups of Starbucks coffee for everyone you thought could be there; while troubling with all of this and trying to get to the elevator, you felt a hand supporting your back and taking the boxes off your hands. You didn’t have to turn to see who it was; he presented himself in front of you as he helped you into the elevator.

“Good morning, sunshine!” The annoyingly enthusiastic man, offering you a smile to your moody face.

“Good morning, Steven” You said, trying your hardest to give him a sincere smile but you still weren’t wide awake.

You both entered the elevator and he pressed the button to the Assemble floor.

“Wow, you look… terrible” Steve expressed as he looked up and down at you.

“Wow, thank you, you’re the kindest!” You stated, laughing a little.

“Yeah… that was what I was aiming for, a little smile before the chaos.” He managed to say before the elevator doors opened, into the turbulence that was the whole floor. Chaos, indeed.

Before you could even speak, you heard someone calling you from across the room.

 

“Hey kid!” It was Tony, he was obviously the author of the mess that was going on, as he was throwing stuff here and running over there. He started walking towards you; you noticed he was holding a pint of ice cream and a spoon.

“A little too early for ice cream, don’t you think?” You exclaimed in a sassy tone.

“No, and I’m a grown man, I can handle this.” He replied, licking the spoon, handing you the ice cream and taking a box of cupcakes out of Steve’s hands.

“Totally, now I get why you called so early, you’re in a sugar rush that must be stopped!” You pointed out to Tony, taking a spoonful of that delicious-looking pint of chocolate ice cream. “Also, I’ll never understand why you want me to bring you Starbucks if you could have a franchise just here, if you wanted to.”

“Yeah, but then I couldn’t bother you doing it” Tony remarked. “And that’s why you have to stop by Starbucks and that awesome bakery that’s near your place.”

“Yeah, sure” You scoffed.

You took a look around to capture what you were going to have to deal with the whole day through and it didn’t look pretty.

“Guys… are you leaving the building or what? Looks pretty messy in here, mind telling me why?" You asked, curious. They went on missions quite often but it was usually more organized than this.

“Well, our lovely friend over here," –Tony accused, pointing at Bucky, who looked like he was hiding in a corner- "might or might have not made our green friend a little… well, green and angry”. He rolled his eyes like it was no big deal, even after spending the last few hours trying to fix all the hassle. You were wondering if they even slept at all, but then you remembered they could totally handle a sleepless night like it’s a morning jog.

“I’m not even gonna ask what happened” You exclaimed, a bit unimpressed by the time you settled the coffee down on a still-unbroken desk by the window.

“Not gonna explain, anyway,” Tony replied. “Follow me, kid, I’ve got some stuff for you”.

You followed him to the lab while he devoured a cupcake and you walked past Bucky, your eyes met his for a brief second and you caught him lightly waving his right hand at you, his smile was sweet and bright, which made you smile in return, completely forgetting your morning frown and everything that made you grumpy in that moment.

 

“What’s happening? Are you going soft on him now?” You asked yourself. “It’s nothing, I’m just tired and it’s going to be a long day” you reassured in your mind. Luckily no one could read minds (none that you knew about, at least) or they would’ve thought you crazy, but who could blame you? Not everyone gets to work around superheroes every day and it wasn’t an easy job, as fun as it looked, and after the dinner with Steve and Bucky you just couldn't help smiling, seeing the progress both of them had made. Bucky was more at ease now, but still it wasn't safe for him to go on missions. Steve was proud of him, he could see him slowly going back to his former self, the kid he grew up with, his best friend.

 

“So, I’m gonna need you to stay here, (y/n), Dummy is behaving and I don’t have time to fix him right now, so I’ll leave him to you” Tony declared, then continued, “also there’s these other things I want you to take a look at, and write your opinions for Bruce for when we come back. The lab is all yours, please don’t break anything, okay?”

“I won’t break anything! You know I won’t!” You exclaimed. “You know you can trust me in taking better care of the lab than yourself, it’ll be fine” you reassured him.

“Alright. Also if you’d check these concepts I’d love to hear your scolding, because I know you that well” Tony grinned while he handed you a bunch of sketches with annotations of his own – then you noticed he was planning a prototype for Bucky’s metal arm.

“Have you told Bucky about this?” You asked Tony, concerned about his methods of insinuation that weren’t exactly asking for permission to do anything and if he bothered Bucky with his nicknames and inappropriate witty comments.

“Of course, he said he wants lasers and missiles shooting from his fingers” Tony chuckled. You knew he didn’t even approached to talk about this to Bucky.

“Okay, I will, but you have to promise you won’t make him uncomfortable with your-your…” You started stuttering. “Wit-with your sarcastic words and calling him names” You managed to finish.

“Are we softening now? Does he make you tingly inside?” Tony started teasing, the bastard. 

“What? No, of course not.” You assured him, feeling the blood flushing up to your cheeks. Were you blushing about Bucky? ¿What is happening?! You asked yourself, thinking about the guy. Sure, you felt safe around him now, but you didn't think it was much more than that.

 “It’s just, it’s just that he’s still adjusting, and you can really be insensitive sometimes, you know?” You tried not to sound nervous.

“Yeah… keep telling yourself that, kid” Tony scoffed. “Anyway, I have to keep moving and please don’t forget your assignments, and fix Dummy as soon as you can,” he added.

“Yes, sir!” You responded, saluting like a soldier after having been given orders.

“Yeah, yeah, leave that for the Cap” Tony stated, then continued: “So, I think Pepper is waiting for you in her office? I’m not sure, I wasn’t listening when she started talking”.

“No kidding!” You joked. “Well, I guess I’ll go see my boss” you declared.

“Hey! Who do you think signs your pay checks?” Tony asked, faking an offended tone.

“It’s all transfer, Tony, and I know she does, from your account, but she’s the one signing” You assured him. “Well, I’m going to see her now. Good luck on your trip, to wherever you’re going that you’re not telling me” You pointed your eyes and then his, then giggled as you left the lab.

“Lab; take care of it, kid!” Tony shouted at you as you left.

“I know, Dummy, sketches, got it!” You shouted back.

 

You ran to Pepper’s office, wondering how long had she been waiting for you, since Tony didn’t tell you any sooner. Getting there, you could just tell she was stressed out by just seeing her tapping her foot behind the desk.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you were waiting for me!” You exclaimed to her.

“I called you a couple of times, I thought you arrived early and I wanted to see you as soon as possible” Pepper declared.

“Phone! I must have left it in the main room. I’m sorry!” You apologized again.

“Don’t worry, you’re here now” She claimed calmly, then proceeded to ask: “As you know, the entire team is leaving on a mission, and I’m assuming Tony left you stuff to do, right?”

“Yeah, a couple of things, I’ll get started in a few minutes” You answered.

“Okay, well, I’m flying to DC this afternoon to get a few deals done. I’m coming back in three days but then I have to be in LA and stay another three, so I need you to take care of some things here while I’m gone, will you? Pepper asked nicely, as she always did. Such a formal boss, most would just demand to get things done.

“Sure, that’s why I’m here!” You admitted.

“You’re going to heaven, girl, thank you so much! Here’s the list” She went on as she handed you a piece of paper with handwritten errands – neat cursive, ready to be memorized and checked off as the tasks were being completed. “It’s in chronological order and call me if you need anything, okay? She finished, smiling at you.

“Yes, leave with an easy mind, okay? Don’t worry, I got it!” You replied.

“Speed dial #1, okay?” Pepper notified to you.

“Got it!” You told her and she was already running around, gathering her belongings, “Navy jacket, back from the cleaners yesterday, on your closet”. You advised to her.

“What would I ever do without you, girl?” Pepper chuckled and hugged you quickly.

“Not rely on Tony, that’s for sure” You laughed.

“That man-child…” She growled. “Anyway, thanks again! I’ll see you in a few days!” Pepper exclaimed as she waved goodbye, leaving you in her office, staring outside the window, long list on hand, Tony’s errands on mind, and another thing you had forgotten about, until…

“Busy now, (y/n)?” You heard Steve, his voice approaching you.

“A bit. You won’t be the only ones having a busy week, it seems” You admitted and turned around to face him.

“Just relax, you’ll do fine” He assured you, handing you your favourite mug with warm coffee in it.

“Steven, you know exactly how to make a gal happy! How come you’re still single?” You professed, taking the mug in your hands.

“Well, I know you’re not a fan of Starbucks, and I just don’t have time for that, we’ve been so engaged in all of this SHIELD situation…” He didn’t finish talking when you cut him off.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that one and a thousand better excuses, buddy; who do you think you’re talking to? Please, I’ve come up with more of those than you can think of,” you presumed.

“Well, when you finally accept a date, I will ask for one as well, deal?” Steve denounced, sounding completely self-confident.

“Deal!” You agreed, shaking his firm hand.

“Hey, have you seen Bucky today?” Steve asked, and it triggered back the thing you had forgotten…

“No, I haven’t” You lied. You had crossed looks with him earlier while walking towards the lab, but remembered right after you denied it.

“Oh” Steve muttered. “Can you still, uh, do the thing I asked you?” he asked, shyly.

“Just say it, Steve, it’s a favor, no big deal, it’s not like I’m committing a crime, right? You bantered.

“Yeah – I mean, no, of course not, I’d never ask such a thing, I just wanted to know if you were still okay with it.”

“Absolutely, okay? Someday I’ll need a favour and you won’t be able to back off, you know?” You winked at him, trying to relax that worried frown from his face. “Also, I’m going to stay here anyway, Tony and Pepper gave me assignments to do while they’re gone, so I’ll be here most of the time. You’ve got nothing to worry about," you reassured him, not really taking meaning into your own words.

You weren’t exactly sure if he had to worry about you, or Bucky. He wasn’t completely recovered, he still dealt with a few nightmares and panic attacks, but you set your mind to believe you could handle it.

You wanted to believe you could.


	6. Workaholic Not So Anonymous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers are gone. They left you babysitting the Soviet Assassin for a few days. Surprisingly enough, he has accepted his fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR KEEPING YOU WAITING! (If you were even waiting, that is)  
> After four months of creative drought, here's chapter Six, finally.  
> I tried to make it up by delivering a lengthy chapter, 2130 words, approximately (hope it's not too boring, though). Longer than average.
> 
> I appreciate every single one of you who takes the time to read this!! Kudos to you all for your patience! <3

“Oh, there he is!” Steve exclaimed, turning to see Bucky coming from the hall. “What’s up, pal?” He greeted his sleepy-faced friend. They all had been awake for several hours, if not the entire night.

“Good morning!” You expressed and smiled at Bucky and he just smiled back.

“So,” Steve started to talk, directing his speech to Bucky, “(y/n) here is gonna stay in the Tower while we’re out for a few days. You know you have everything you need here, and you can ask her for help if you need it. Just… don’t break stuff, okay, Buck?”

“Steve…” Bucky began but was cut off before he could say anything else.

“Alright. Well, I’ll see you guys in a couple of days. Don’t have fun without me, will you?” Steve winked at you and left the hall before either of you could protest, leaving you and Bucky in a growing awkward silence.

“So…” Both of you started at the same time, after a few seconds.

 

“Um, I’m… I’m sorry about that. I told him I don’t need a babysitter, I’m fine by myself.” Bucky assured, toughing up his facial expression and shaking off his cute but tired  face. He looked like a 4-year old wanting to be a grown-up.

“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun!” You affirmed and continued, “We can have a sleepover and make s’mores on Tony’s Bunsen burner and assault his ice cream stash! Also, just to be clear, I have no idea on how to babysit but I’m sure you’re not a baby, so that’s a bonus point, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. But still, Steve can be a little overprotective at times and I don’t know what he told you, or had to do to make you look after me, but… but I’ll try not to bother you, okay?” Bucky stuttered.

“It’s no problem, really! I’ll just be around doing some work and you can always tell J.A.R.V.I.S. to communicate you with me, and I will come find you!” You reassured him. You left the hall for a second, to find him a cup of coffee from the bunch you brought.

“Here, you look like you need it” You commented, handing Bucky the paper cup. As he sipped on it, you added, “plus, you’ll never know what he had to do to get me to accept!” You raised your eyebrows, joking, and left the hall.

 

Later on, hours after the hall conversation, you found yourself immersed in complete silence. The Avengers team was gone and you were the only one in that floor. You had started working on Pepper’s assignments even before they all left, and you didn’t notice Bucky’s presence in the conference room where you were surrounded by papers.

“It took me over an hour to found you, I thought you were hiding from me.” He was leaning against the door frame when he broke the silence and you jumped out of your seat.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you!” Bucky apologized.

“No, no, it’s fine.” You declared, and then asked, “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to know you wouldn’t notice me if I stay quiet. You really take your job seriously, don’t you?” He implied.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I? I’d get fired if I didn’t, and I can’t risk it, I’ve worked hard for it!” You stated.

“Oh, alright, didn’t mean anything by it. Sorry!” He shrugged and stood there for a second, before continuing, “This place is too big for you alone, you could have the whole building and you come to the most remote room in it.”

“Yeah… I like the quietness of it, it’s almost always unoccupied and the view is nice when you open up the blinds, too.” You responded, pointing to the closed blinds, matching the royal blue conference desk in front of you.

 

“I’ll leave you to it, then…” Bucky started.

“You don’t have to leave, if you don’t want to. You’re not bothering me, really. Actually, you might even be of help with some of these things I have to get done. For example, these blinds. They need to be gone and I’m going to need an extra opinion with colors and designs. That is, if you want to help, of course.” You enunciated before presenting him a kind smile which he caught and smiled back.

“Oh, sure, I’d love to!” He grinned.

“Great! And we can order pizza for dinner, right after I finish this little bunch of notes and paperwork, alright?” You asked him enthusiastically.

“Alright!” Bucky excitedly replied.

You kept working for a few hours until the sky went dark, for which you opened up the blinds to keep track of the extinguishing sunlight. Bucky sat down next to you, assisting and paying great attention to everything you said, as you wondered just how many times this kid wanted to be something more than the dangerous assassin everyone in the building was afraid of.

“Maybe he really left those days behind” You told to yourself. “Maybe he just needs to do something else than just being the damaged one that everyone’s trying to fix”.

 

9:30 pm. You had spent all day working that you entirely forgot to take a lunch break and your stomach was now growling with hunger, and that was the only feeling you could never hide.

“Are you okay?” Bucky asked with a sudden worry taking over his face.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m just… I guess I’m hungry, and a bit tired.” You answered, weariness kicking in and forcing your back to arch forward and you let your head fall on the desk. You couldn’t help but stare at Bucky’s tender, fixed sight on you.

“What?” You asked with a dozy smile. He pushed away a lock of hair out of your face and placed it behind your ear.

“Nothing. You worked too much today, that’s all. Come on, let’s order that pizza you promised earlier.” Bucky softly spoke.

“Sure, just let me order these…” You established without finishing, because he interrupted you.

“No, come on, these will remain here, you can keep going tomorrow. Let’s go eat something.” He asserted, not waiting for you to growl at his statement and took you by the hand to help you get up from your chair.

“Come on, you can have fun with these papers tomorrow.” Bucky smiled as he walked to the door, nodding towards it so you would follow.

 

The evening went on, you ordered pizza and ate it in the Assemble living room, while watching a movie.

“So, what did you think of it? Did you like the movie? I know it’s a bit too…” You turned to the other couch where Bucky was, and you saw he fell asleep.

“…Boring.” You finished..

You grabbed a blanket from the closet nearby and put it over him.

“Good night, soldier.” You smiled to yourself before leaving the room.

 

Three days passed by, and you and Bucky were getting to know each other better, through small talk between your short breaks, mostly imposed by him, telling you that you work too hard and for too long.

“Do you even get a bonus or something? You’re gonna drop dead if you don’t relax a bit, you know?” Bucky declared.

“Well, I do get rewards and benefits, but I gotta get this done now. Also, I enjoy my job, I like the things I get to learn and do here, and not everyone gets to work first hand with the Avengers!!”

“Yeah, I have to give you credit for that. Lucky girl, you get to see Steve and Thor’s biceps more often than you’d wish for!” Bucky added, teasing you, perhaps.

“What can I say? It’s not my fault that they run around shirtless sometimes; it’s not like I will run after them providing shirts and robes, I’m not a maid, and I do enjoy the view, thank you very much!” You assured, not sure if you had said the right thing. Not that it mattered, your mouth surprised your brain more often than not.

“Yours aren’t so bad, either…” You whispered to yourself.

“Sorry?” Bucky asked, as if he had caught a word or two of your one-person conversation.

“Oh, nothing, I… have to, um, finish this, if you’ll excuse me” You babbled and left before he could say another thing.

 

Were you admitting that you’ve checked him out?

“No, come on, it’s just natural, the guy’s been shirtless around the place too, it’s not my fault that they all cross my path sooner or later just to make me uncomfortable!” You tried to convince yourself. Truth is, he had been doing it on purpose, and he hoped that you would notice. Eventually.

 

Fourth morning. You overslept until dear J.A.R.V.I.S. woke you up with a message:

“Miss (y/n), Miss Potts is asking for you. She’s in the conference room and requires your presence at once.”

“Oh my God! It’s been three days already?! Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S.!” You exclaimed, jumping out of bed.

You hurried to get showered and presentable as soon as humanly possible to go meet her. She said she would be back in three days, three days ago.

 

“Miss Potts!” You made your entrance into the conference room in a rush, nervous for keeping her waiting.

“There you are, I’ve been looking for you since I arrived! I need your help with something, before I go to LA, will you?” Pepper asked, not an ounce mad, but all the ounces of stress, like always.

“Sure! That’s why I’m here for! First, can I bring you a cup of coffee?” You asked with a smile, well awake now. “Also, I’m sorry for being late, I worked until late last night and…” She interrupted you before you could keep going.

“Don’t worry, it happens to everyone. If it wasn’t for the private jet, I’d miss half of my flights, as shocking as it seems,” Pepper confessed. “And I’d be forever grateful for that coffee, thank you!” She continued and set herself to the task of organizing the work you both had to do that day while you went to get the coffee.

You came back with a big coffee pot and settled yourself to work with Pepper.

 

“So, how was DC? Too busy?” You asked her, trying to chit chat and make the work lighter.

“It was generally good, thank you, even though I wanted to punch some of those old entrepreneurs in their wrinkled noses” Pepper expressed with despise; for her cursing dictionary wasn’t as colourful as the rest of the team’s, but she sure tried.

“They are seriously so close-minded and they only care about their own profits, no matter what happens to the rest of the world,” She paused to sip her coffee, “But that’s something I’m not gonna bore you with. Now tell me, how’s it been going on here lately? Is this guy Bucky giving you any trouble?” She inquired curiously.

“No, not at all, he’s been cool, he even helped me with some work and agreed, like you did, with burning down these terrible curtains.” You affirmed, nodding towards the blue curtains hanging in front of the conference room windows.

“Oh, okay, then that’s what we should do. Now let’s solve this because I have to be in LA this afternoon.” Pepper exclaimed, signalling you to go sit beside her.

There you spent the morning and the early afternoon, working non-stop, except for the brunch and snack breaks, respectively.

“So, that’s about it, girl, I have to go now. You got all the work done in record time, wow! Congrats! And thank you so much, I know it can be stressful sometimes, but I can’t trust Tony to do all of this by himself. Good thing I have you! That we have you. Tony appreciates your collaborations in the lab as well, but he’s too proud to say it,” Pepper admitted.

“Don’t even mention it, I’m pretty grateful with you both! And I’d love to keep this conversation going, but you’re going to be late for the meeting, Ms. Potts,” you addressed.

“You’re right, I should hurry. Thank you, (y/n), for everything. See you in a couple of days, take care of yourself, okay?” Pepper finished.

“Of course, you too!” You said goodbye to your boss and went back to put in order some of the papers she left on the desk. Most of the work was done, there were only a couple of calls to make in the following days, nothing extraordinary. It was around four in the afternoon, and you decided to take a little break and go to the lab to work on Tony’s assignments.

 

Only to find that Bucky arrived there first, and he didn’t look too delighted upon finding a few certain drawings on the main desk.


	7. Sweet touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First of all, sorry to keep you waiting!!! My mind and life have been a mess lately but here I reward your patience with 1,600+ words, thank you for sticking around :)
> 
> I appreciate all of you so much, who are kind enough to keep reading and leaving kudos and comments, you guys rock!! :D <3
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this one, as much as I enjoyed writing and revising it <3  
> P.D.: I had a little inspiration for a few lines, based on a tumblr post, which I couldn't find and properly credit, but as soon as I find it, I'll add a link to it.

 

“Wh-what are these? Why are there sketches of me here? What are you gonna do to me?!” Bucky asked with exaltation.

“Um…” You muttered, “Uh, these are… Tony is working on some prototypes and slight, useful modifications for your… arm.”

“Why? Is that why they brought me for? To use me as a lab rat?” He was clearly upset, and no one could blame him. His dark past was too recent still to let it go so easily. 

He started smashing test tubes and ripping the sketches in half. You grabbed him by his right arm to try to stop him, obviously not taking into account that he could end your life in a second with his left.

“No, no, no, no! Not at all! It’s um, just some doodles, nothing certain yet, and we’re not going to do anything to you, we’re trying to protect you!” You exclaimed in hopes to calm him down from his altered state.

This wasn’t the first time you had seen him explode; there were several other times when everyone had a near-death experience in, gladly, successful attempts of making him snap out of it. Of everyone, only Natasha and Steve had left the fight without a bruise or scratch. Poor guy would not stop apologizing for his behaviour days and days after each episode happened. But this time, he took it personal with you.

“So you’re involved too,” Bucky was perplexed, “I-I thought I could trust you!” He shouted and you couldn’t help but hear the pain in his words, “I wanted to trust you!” he finished.

You swallowed hard and you felt his pain as well. “And you can! Honestly, you can trust me! But we do these things here, we design and build prototypes, improvements for everything and everyone, just to make things easier for them.” His eyes were watery and his lower lip was trembling, like a little boy after falling off the swing.

“But these… what are these? What are these things here?” He asked, more calmly, pointing at one of the remaining sketches where multiple objects were added and then erased off. He seemed more serene now.

“Well, these are all Tony’s silly ideas. He says you’d smile more if you could shoot bullets from your fingers, that it would be more practical than your pocket knife.”

“Oh,” was all he said.

You took a deep breath and gently led him by the right arm into a stool nearby the main lab table, where he had found the sketches.

“Here, sit, and I’ll explain some more,” you instructed him.

You sat next to him, explaining some of the drawings and the potential functions that could be add to his metal arm. You kept talking and he listened attentively to every word you said, never taking his eyes off yours.

“So, you can do all of this by yourself? Bucky asked. He was much more relaxed now.

“Of course! If I had the resources, that is, but Tony lets me play with his toys and sometimes even helps me create some of these trinkets –you showed him two of your little creations, nothing world-changing, but yours nonetheless- and yes, we can invent and improve many artefacts, included your arm, that’s why the sketches were here, and I’m sorry you had to find them like this,” you apologized, placing your right hand on his left shoulder, where the metal arm began to replace his former flesh one. You weren’t scared at the damage that it could inflict on you; you knew deep down he wouldn’t hurt you.

He smiled crookedly and looked down shyly, but didn’t brush your hand off.

“I knew women could do amazing things; my mom always told me women were to build the future, and here you are, proving her right! He expressed, his eyes shining now at the memory of his beloved mother.

The afternoon went by so quickly, both of you talking about your interests –mainly scientific, as he was amazed by the advances that were made in the last 70 years, and you were more than pleased to explain him as much as you could. “

“Who could’ve thought that a dreamboat like yourself could hold this amount of information?” Bucky inquired.

“A dreamboat?” you asked curiously.

“A… um… yeah, I, I mean, a pretty gal like… like you… you know?” He struggled to not stutter but completely failed.

“Yes, I understand,” you admitted. You had heard Steve teasing you with that word before. “Well, it didn’t just show up at my door. I knew I wanted to do this since I was little and then I worked hard for it, a few years in college, and now I’m here.” A silence followed your last sentence.

“So…” he scratched his head nervously as his cheeks were blushing.

“So…” you broke the silence when you noticed he couldn’t articulate any more words at the moment. “Steve told me you were into science too, that you both attended the first ever ‘Stark Expo’, before heading to war!” You encouraged him to keep talking. This bonding time wasn’t so bad after all. You even liked him by now!

“Yes, we did! The World Exposition of Tomorrow! It was the night before I left New York to go to England, that I remember well, and Tony’s father, Howard, was there presenting the first flying car but it didn’t go well. I thought there would be flying cars by now! All around, no traffic, just floating vehicles, maybe a few crashes down on the ground…” Bucky was a bit too excited about the idea of a flying car.

“I’ll tell you a little secret, that’s maybe not so secret, but it isn’t known publicly…” You lowered your voice. “Tony made that happen already! Of course the government does not approve about 99% of his inventions, but he made flying cars possible, using his father’s knowledge and applying it to modern technology and his own ideas. If you ever see a red Porsche flying over the rooftops, it’s thanks to Tony,” you bragged about your boss.

“I’ll keep it in mind, doll.” Bucky added. This was the first time he called you “doll”, and even though it seemed a bit unusual to hear in these modern days, you actually liked it.

“I think we’ve had enough of tech and science and future talking. Come, let’s enjoy the present, as long as we have it!” You smiled at him warmly and took his right hand, holding it carefully, as if it were to slip off yours. He squeezed yours lightly, as in approval and you took him out of the lab.

You didn’t have work left to do that afternoon, so you thought you could do something with the curious kid that was left under your watch.

 

“How would you like to change subjects for the night?” You asked him cheerfully.

“I’m not… I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” Bucky answered, frowning in confusion.

“Let’s bake cupcakes!” You shouted with excitement.

“But I’ve never baked anything in my life!” He replied, still frowning.

“It doesn’t matter, I’ll teach you,” you assured him. “And maybe you can teach me how to dance, in return for the baking lessons,” you winked at him playfully.

 

It was around 9 pm already when you took his hand and dragged him down to the kitchen. You knew the cooks were gone by then, since the Avengers (especially Tony) weren’t there to ravage the pantries and fridges, so they were to leave early on those slow days.

“I remember helping my mom to make pancakes for breakfast every Sunday, most of those mornings after having Stevie for a sleepover at my place. His mom would insist sometimes for me to take him with me, so he wouldn’t get in trouble,” Bucky commented. His memories were coming back in waves of recognition; seeing certain things would trigger some memories back to him. It was wonderful to see him remembering his past, talking to Steve about it, and seeing him smile more often. And now you had triggered one more good memory.

“Stevie…” you whispered and smiled to yourself, while you were looking for the ingredients on the pantry.

“Steve, sorry. He’ll kill me if he knew I told you about it. Just don’t tell him I told you, alright?” Bucky insisted.

“Alright, your secret is safe with me,” you agreed. But you were dying to tease Steve with it.

“Do you need help with that?” He asked when he saw that you couldn’t reach the highest shelf. You weren’t all that short, but that was the one shelf you had to get a ladder for. He rushed to your right side and beat you to grab the chocolate bar you were trying to get. Softly, he placed his metal hand on your back, and slid it to your waist. You felt the coolness of the metal going through the fabric of your shirt and the slight pressure against your skin. You turned to him and found him looking at you, your noses almost touching.

“I’m… sorry,” Bucky expressed, removing his hand from your waist and his sight from yours afraid of your upcoming reaction. He was still learning to control his touch, the touch that once ended with many lives in a heartbeat, now lay upon you with a tenderness that made your heart melt.

“Don’t be.” You whispered, barely breathing.

He opened your hand to put the chocolate bar on it and wrapped your fingers around it. Just as he was about to take a step back, you took his right forearm with your free hand.

“You do like chocolate, right?” You asked him, tension rising between your bodies.

He took your forearm with his hand as well.

“I do, it’s my favorite,” Bucky murmured.

You slid your hand off his arm, but he took and held it with his before you vanished from his touch.


	8. Sugar Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's more sugar to taste, and no time to waste...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead!!! I felt like I was, and it was horrible, and almost two years later, I give you a new chapter. Terribly sorry for the delay, but life is awful and hard :( In compensation, I give you 2,000+ words of this. I really hope you enjoy it, had a great time writing those last bits.  
> (There's an F bomb or two somewhere, just warnin')

 

“Cou-Could you get the milk and butter from the fridge, please?” You stuttered, heat rising up to your cheeks, so you hid your face away from him, in hopes that he wouldn’t notice. “Girl, get it together! You don’t even like, _like_ the guy! Right?!” You questioned yourself, unsure of your own thoughts and feelings, now that Steve wasn’t around to poke at you with his stupid insinuations.

Bucky went to the fridge to get your requested items and placed them on the table in front of you.

Even though baking wasn’t your biggest talent, you led this cupcake mission, knowing that this was more your ground than shooting guns and punching faces.

“Thank you,” you said kindly. There was a silence for a couple of minutes.

Bucky leaned against the fridge, his back facing it and arms crossed. A little smirk peeked from his face, slightly hidden in his shoulder-length locks. You looked towards him to witness the image. It was a good image, worth sketching, if only you had paper and pencil right there.

He was the one to break the silence.

“So, correct me if I’m wrong, and I’m pretty sure I’m not, but you didn’t like me, right? When I first got here, I noticed you were more distant than… well, than everybody else.”

Bucky clenched his jaw not in anger, but in wait for a response. Oh dear Gods.

You lowered your gaze in embarrassment, you weren’t aware that he had been observing you all this time!

“Um… well, I guess I was being cautious, that’s all. I mean, I didn’t know you, only heard about you from Steve and the guys, but it’s a completely different thing to judge a person through someone else’s eyes from what you see for yourself, you know?” You looked up at him, his beautiful blue eyes fixed on you.

“And what do you see now, doll?” He asked, brows furrowed, trying so hard to look serious.

You hesitated for a few seconds.

“I see an old man in his nineties, who plays video games better than I do, he likes chocolate and cold pizza and is fluent in like, a hundred more languages than I am, and I’m pretty damn jealous of that.” You stopped. This wasn’t the time to get cheesy, so you just smiled and kept the rest for yourself.

“Fair enough,” he uttered. “But I’ll have you know it’s not a hundred, more like ten or so. And you like cold pizza, too, I’ve seen you stealing a piece or two at three in the morning!” He accused. Apparently he had been observing you a little too much. Maybe even stalking. Who knows?

“Well, I’m guilty, it’s a family tradition back home. Come on, soldier, I’m not sharing if you’re not helping,” you teased, a smirk forming on your face.

He walked closer to where you stood and stopped right beside you, almost touching your arm. His warmth reaching you, barely noticeable, but it was there.

“Okay, if we’re going to do this, we’ll do it in my way,” you declared.

Bucky nodded, not wanting to argue with you, he just kept silent, but watching intently.

You opened a cabinet and pulled two folded aprons from it, put one on yourself and another on Bucky. You tied yours, and with those puppy eyes and playful smile, asked you to tie his as well.

“Well, we’re almost ready!” You exclaimed. “Only one more thing, take this and get your hair out of the way.”

You gave him a scrunchie and obediently, he wrapped up his hair in a messy bun.

“Is this good?” He asked.

You just nodded. “Perfect”, you thought to yourself.

 

Back from your train of thoughts, you got yourself busy turning on the oven and getting all of the ingredients together. You handed him some measuring cups and both started preparing the batter, you got the baking trays ready and granted him the honour of filling the cups.

“Like this?” Bucky asked nervously, he was afraid he might screw it up.

“Yes, you’re doing it very good!” You reassured him and he smiled warmly at you.

You let him finish all the cups and helped him put them on the oven.

“Now we wait about… 20 minutes until they’re cooked, but meanwhile we can whip some cream to frost them with,” you commented.

“Sure, doll, I’m following your orders, remember?” Bucky smirked again. This was becoming an issue, mainly because you were starting to like it. And him.

 

Whipping cream was an adventure. A badly installed electric mixer (or maybe someone else wrecked it and decided not to tell anyone; looking at you, Clint!) was no obstacle, a wire whisk and Bucky’s metal arm did all the job in a few minutes. And of course, there was the process of frosting the cupcakes. 

“What do you use that plastic bag for?” He asked.

“See this thing? It’s a frosting tip, it’s what makes the frosting come out in shapes, and it goes inside the bag; here, I’ll teach you to do it.”

“Oh, okay. I mean, I’ve eaten cupcakes before, but I never stopped to think of how they were made”, Bucky replied, not overly excited.

“It’s fine, no one’s going to judge them anyway, we’ll eat them even if they’re ugly”, you answered, brushing his worry away. “We have to let them cool down for a little bit, though. We can watch a movie or play a game, meanwhile”, you added.

“Whatever you command, I’m just a soldier here”, he replied, looking playfully at you.

 

You were beginning to ask yourself if this was his true nature, being smirky, flirty and just plainly provocative, or if he was like this only when you were around… and apparently you got locked in your thoughts because he had to snap you out of it.

“Hey, (Y/N), are you okay? You seemed, um, away from here!”  Bucky pointed out.

“Oh, yes, yes, I’m fine, I’m sorry, got lost for a minute. What would you want to do meanwhile?” you asked, expecting an innuendo or something like it. And there it was.

“Anything you want me to do, doll”, he smiled, lifting an eyebrow as if to get a reaction from you. And he did, so you spoke your mind.

“When did you get all presumptuous and trusting with me? What if I use it against you?” you asked, a bit testing, a bit teasing.

He took two steps closer, his face only a couple of inches from yours.

“I can stop, if you ask nicely, darling”, he replied, with that stupid cocky tone you hated so badly. Did you really hate it, though?

 Seeing that you were a bit serious about the question, he had no option but to answer it.

“Well, to be honest with you, I thought it would help break the ice between us, you know? I know you weren’t very fond of me at first, and I didn’t want to make you feel awkward, because I knew Steve was pushing you into befriending me, so I thought it would be less… heavy on you. But I was wrong, wasn’t I? I made you feel awkward anyway. I’m sorry, I was nervous too, it hasn’t been easy for me, you know?”

 He paused, as if considering if you really were interested in listening to him. But he was expressing himself like you had never seen him do so before; and you did not want to stop him. It had been incredibly hard for him, indeed, and you were surprised to see him more cheery than when he arrived, just a few months ago. You gave yourself a little credit, you liked to think you contributed if just a bit, granting him a smile and a cup of coffee every once in a while. You listened intently, locking your gaze with his.

He hesitated to continue, silently asking for your permission to keep going. You nodded in agreement.

Bucky was not very open about himself with other people but Steve; sure, he tried to chit-chat with everyone but he didn’t feel like he could have a deep conversation with just anyone.

“I know, Bucky, and I’m sorry. I know you’ve been through hell and back, and I’m sorry if I acted strangely. I don’t think I have an acceptable excuse for my behaviour, but believe me, I am very glad I got to know you, you really are a cool guy.” You assured him, his brows were furrowed in disbelief, as you tried to convince him that you were being honest.

“Thank you, (Y/N), that really means a lot, and I’m glad you agreed to babysit me,” he smiled playfully, and followed, “even though it seems to me I am taking care of you, mainly because I don’t want you to burn down the building, with those things.” He pointed to the oven that was now emitting smoke, a sign of nothing good.

“Oh My God!” You exclaimed. “They’re burning! The oven was too high! Damn it!”

You ran to open the oven door and pulled out the smoking tray, with blackened little rocks, completely inedible. To the trash they went.

“Language!” Bucky yelled.

“That applies to Steve, I’m not bothered by profanities, Barnes."

He came to help you, but there was nothing to be done. Cupcake mission had failed miserably.

“We’re on a last name basis now, aren’t we, doll?” He sounded flirty, and looked even more so.

“What if we are? What are you going to do about it, exactly, soldier?” You tried to feed him a little bit of his own medicine, or in this case, flirt back at him. Without thinking of the consequences, of course, like always.

“Well… I thought we could use that whipped cream in some way, and I know just the best way to not let it go to waste.” And there’s the consequence. More innuendos, more smirk than before. Not that it bothered you, at least not anymore.

“Alright, what do you suggest, then?” You asked, not sure if you wanted to hear the answer.

“Hmm… let me go to my room, I’ll be right back, doll. Of course you can come, if you want.” That cheeky bastard.

“I’ll wait right here, don’t worry”, you managed to say without tripping over words. You had no idea what Bucky had in mind. Honestly, he was just so open now, like he trusted you so much more and felt totally comfortable with you around. You just wondered,  _how_  comfortable, exactly.

 

A few seconds later, he returned, both his hands behind his back.

“Okay, doll, I wasn’t sure about your cravings, so I better ask you now, which flavour do you like best, vanilla or chocolate? I mean, both feel equally delicious in my mouth but I’ll let you choose first.” Fucking teaser.

“Um… chocolate, I guess” you replied, a little unsure.

“Close your eyes and open your hands,” he asked and you obeyed.

“There. That’s for you." He said while he put a Hostess Cupcake in your hands. You couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s the matter? You said chocolate, I’ll keep vanilla for me”, he added, unwrapping a Twinkie.

“Nothing. It’s just… I don’t know what I expected. And I’m certainly wondering where were you keeping these? I’ve never seen you eating one, I thought you didn’t even liked them!”

“I’m not telling you, don’t want you stealing off my stash, darling.” He paused a second, thoughtful. “Come on, what did you think I was going to bring?” He asked jokingly.

“No, nothing, I don’t know.” You answered. Seriously, what were you thinking???

“Well, pass that cream, don’t be selfish!” He exclaimed as he helped himself with some whipped cream, covering almost the entirety of the pastry with it and devouring half of it in one bite.

“If I’m getting fatter, I might as well enjoy it.” You said as you spread some cream on your cupcake and took a bite yourself.

“You got a…,” Bucky started, pointing at the corner of your mouth. “There’s a little cream there.”

You tried to clean it with your finger, but he offered his thumb to help you with it.

“Thank you, Buck…” You began, unsure of what to say next. He had never touched your face before, his right hand was a bit rough but very warm.

“Sure, doll, anytime”, he assured. He smiled sweetly, his eyes looking at you with a certain fondness, getting closer to you.

 

You could feel the warmth from his chest enclosing you, his approach leaving you almost no way out of it. So, naturally, you went for it. What the hell.

You put your hand at the base of his neck, your fingers grasping his hair and pulled him to you, pressing your lips with his. There was only silence and the increasing beating of your heart pounding in your chest, as he worked his lips with such expertise, biting your lower lip, tasting the sweetness of the pastries, the sweetness of his mouth sending you in a rush of adrenaline. His hands caressing your back and arm now, the contrast between a cold, metal arm and a warm, flesh arm. The combination of all of these feelings and sensations just made you eager for more, kissing him more intensely, never wanting it to end. It was quite the experience, one you never thought you would have.

 

Finally, when you pulled apart to breathe, you almost pulled him close again, but he put his hands on your shoulders, with his beautiful blue eyes staring into yours. Suddenly, it struck you what just had happened. You kept silent, how could you do this”? You weren’t even sure if it happened. At last, he let out a few words:

“Do you really want this?" He asked, and you didn't hesitate to nod in affirmation.

"Wow, (Y/N) I didn’t know you had it in you! Although, you could use a little more practice. I’m available to teach you some lessons, for a very fair price!” He winked at you, leaving you almost speechless, if it hadn’t been for your quick tongue.

“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it, I might take you up on that offer!” You replied.

 

“Oh, I mean it, and I know you mean it too.” He replied with a devilish smile, the kind that leaves you thinking about what could come next.


End file.
